Yeah, I know this isn't bus related, but some days you just have to bend the rules in order to do something nice for someone you don't know. It's called Random Acts of Kindness. Please bear with me...

I grew up in a very small community in Wyoming, and even though I haven't lived there in over 20 years, my heart is still there. So I find myself regularly visiting the town website, hoping for bits of information to tell me all's well back home.

Today, I found a short little piece on their website, written by the mother of one of the local teens. It seems that Texas Instruments has some sort of contest to design a calculator cover, and this student has entered. Now, I don't know this kid or his family, but having grown up there, I know what this dream means to this kid. The Little Snake River Valley is an isolated place, and as the song goes, "For every one who sticks around, you're either lost or you're found, there's not much in between.." fits this community perfectly. Those who are there dream of getting out, and those of us who escaped, dream of going back.

The school falls under the jurisdiction of the larger district in Rawlins, and as such often gets overlooked when it comes to technology and such. Winning this contest would mean that the school would receive 10 new graphing TI calculators. I can't express how good this kid would feel when school starts next fall and they have all these cool calculators to use in their math class thanks to him.

It looks like a long shot, but I've always supported the underdog. So I voted for this kid's design. It's a crude rendition of the globe. He drew it freehand. He didn't copy a photo like the other entrants did. He put some effort into it. It shows heart!

If any of you feel like performing a random act of kindness today, go read about it at the town's website at http://www.townofbaggs.com/id70.htm. Then follow the directions and find his design. It's called Global Calculations, blue with a green rendition of the continents, by Kale H. from Dixon, Wy, LSRV Schools. You can't miss it. To vote you have to enter your email address and a password. They email a confirmation link that you have to click on so your vote gets counted.

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, a good Reisling in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming: WOO HOO, what a ride

I was just reading the contest rules. The grand prize is actually 30 TI-84 Silver Edition Graphing Calculators for the school (not 10, as I stated earlier), and the winner gets $1000 and a TI Navigator (whatever that is, probably a really nice TI calculator). Approximate retail value over $18K USD.

For a small ranching community school, a gift like that would be HUGE!

His mother stated in her post that the money would be used for savings. Something tells me this kid will be attending college in a few years.

One more note. Growing up in this community, there were many influencial people in my life. One of the biggest was my high school math teacher (now retired). A few years ago, right after buying the bus, we were talking and he asked me how I knew how to convert a bus. He guessed correctly that it was primarily because of two people, my father, and my vo-ag / FFA advisor. He missed the third person in that lineup... himself.

From time to time I see him when we're back visiting. A couple years ago, while we were out there, he saw the bus and stopped in to chat. He was in awe, asking all kinds of questions about the conversion process, and how it drives, etc. I decided to let him see for himself what it's like to drive, so we went for a short drive to Dixon and back. The road is wide and there's little traffic. He took it around the block to turn around and head back home, and as he drove past the local wattering hole in Dixon, some locals looked up and saw him driving this monster. Their jaws dropped they kinda just stared. He just waved at them with this big goofy grin on his face. I could tell this was truely one of the highlights of his summer!

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, a good Reisling in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming: WOO HOO, what a ride

Craig,I spent a good part of my early years growing up in Idaho near a town of 286 people.The first year that Iattended school there we were in a one room school house that had grades 1-8. That year district got a federal grant to build a new, modern school. Now as I look back,of the kids in my graduating class (36 kids), 8 were killed in Vietnam, 13 have been killed in logging or farming accidents, 10 have left town, and 5 are happy being moms and dads inthe local community.Even though it's only 30 miles from Boise, it is a backwater that offers very little in the way of incentives to young people, either in education or economic opportunity.This is the reason I identify with and understand your quest for the youngster from your home town to have a chance at winning this contest. I will support education solely for the sake of education any time.

I also worry about our educational system today.My wife interviews hundreds of people every week to see if the employer is elegible for a tax credit.Many times these people she interviews cannot read or write beyond a second grade level, do not know what their social security number is, or don't have one, about 3 out of 10 (her scoring- not scientific) DO NOT KNOW THEIR BIRTHDAY! Quite a few have no idea what county they live in and don't know the difference between welfare and SSI, SSDI or Medicare.

Just think, these are the people that are growing up to run our country.

Thank God for the dumbing down of America! At least the ones that aren't running it will be too stupid to know they are going to end up as a third world nation!

OK, I put the soap box away.

Go KYLE!!!!!!!!!!

Vote For Kale****************************Vote For Kale*****************Vote For Kale********************Vote For Kyle![/b]